


Heart of Iron

by SuperHeroTiger



Series: Stark Men Are Made of Iron [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), MCU, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Arc Reactor, Child Peter Parker, IronDad and SpiderSon, Irondad, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker has the arc reactor, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-29 15:57:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20799230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperHeroTiger/pseuds/SuperHeroTiger
Summary: Peter Stark -son of world renowned Tony Stark- has a heart of pure gold, and less fortunately, a chest filled with deadly shrapnel. The only thing that stands between him and death is the arc reactor that sits firmly inside his chest, which remains a secret to everyone but the safety of his family. But as Tony and Peter soon learn, family cannot always be trusted......An alternate version of the scene from Iron Man 1 where Obadiah takes the arc reactor but it's actually eight-year old Peter that holds it, leaving Tony to watch paralysed as his son slowly dies in his arms.





	Heart of Iron

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there!  
I'm new to the Marvel fandom and have been enjoying all the amazing stories here for a few months, so I thought it was about time I made my own contribution and join in! I was inspired the other day after watching Iron Man 1 again and decided to draw this angsty concept over on my tumblr, but after messing with the idea some more I couldn't help but make a one-shot for it! Hopefully you like it! I'm new to ao3 so if you have any tips, please let me know!
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
-Superherotiger

Tony rubbed his eyes with a tired sigh, his hands calloused from the many hours of hammering and welding away at his new-found hobby. It was late -or early, depending on how you looked at it. Regardless, the mechanic couldn’t sleep, not until he got word from Pepper on how her little spy mission into Obadiah’s shadowed dealings went.

The mere thought of his once-mentor sent a chill up his spine. Tony could hardly believe someone he once trusted to guide and protect him could cast him aside with such little care, as if he were some shiny trophy instead of the owner of the god damn company. He would never forget the coldness of Obadiah’s touch as he pulled Tony to his side, his lips pulled into a smile that didn’t quite reach the darkness in his eyes as he revealed his traitorous plan to dethrone him in plain view of everyone at the gala. The cruel amusement in his laughter when he pulled away would forever be ingrained into Tony’s memory…

The genius was distracted from his onslaught of memories at the sound of small feet shuffling against the tiled floor, glancing up to see a certain curly-haired boy standing by the stairs, shifting his feet sheepishly as he met the older man’s gaze. Perhaps once the shadows would have concealed his entrance, but not even his flannelette red pyjamas could hide that distinctive glow of the arc reactor in his chest. It was like a beacon in the night, shining just as brightly as the boy himself despite the traumas he’d gone through to receive such a device.

Tony tried not to think about that. Tried not to think about the screams of anguish as Yinsen extracted barbs of shrapnel from his chest, or the terrified sobs as father and son sat huddle together in some dingy cave in the middle of who knows where, possibly never to be found again. No, Tony couldn’t think of that. Because if he did, he feared he might die of sadness for the loss of innocence that child _-his child-_ had felt at the hands of those monsters.

But returning back to the present, Tony couldn’t help but melt at the sight of those big brown eyes, beckoning him over with a wave as he called “Hey Underoos. Little late for you to be up, don’t you think?”

Peter ran forward and practically leapt into his father’s arms, wrapping his little arms around Tony’s neck as he murmured “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Another nightmare?” Tony grimaced as he began to card his finger through Peter’s silky locks. It wasn’t uncommon for the boy to have nightmares, especially after what had happened over the past three months, but it still made Tony’s heart lurch painfully every time he found his son screaming and fighting at the unseen forces trying to pin him down. The same grip that, only a few weeks ago, had been _real_ and brutal as they dragged him to the dusty ground and threatened to kill him if Tony didn’t hurry up and make the weapons they desired.

Tony ended up making a weapon alright, but it certainly wasn’t the one they were looking for.

“No nightmares.”

Tony was surprised by the words that fell from his son’s mouth, but they held no fear, no uncertainty, and he knew that Peter was being honest. So, settling down onto the lounge with Peter still wrapped tightly in his arms, Tony gazed down warmly into his son’s big eyes and asked “What’s keeping you up then buddy?”

The man was startled to see Peter’s eyes light up in _wonder_, his voice taking on that childish awe Tony feared he may never hear again as the boy replied “I’m too excited to sleep.”

“Oh really? And why are you excited?” Tony quizzed in amusement.

“Because!” Peter exclaimed, cutting himself off and glaring scrutinisingly around the room, as if he feared someone might be eavesdropping on their midnight conversation in a house guarded by the ever-watchful JARVIS. Tony didn’t interrupt though, waiting patiently until Peter was seemingly satisfied with his inspection and leant forward with that shimmer in his eyes again, whispering softly “Because my daddy is a _real_ superhero!”

Tony’s lip quirked upwards in a smile. “It’s pretty cool, huh?”

“_Better_ than cool! It’s amazing!” Peter beamed, flashing off his pearly white teeth in a wide grin. “I wish I could tell the whole world!”

Running his fingers through the boy’s hair Tony added softly “You know it’s a secret though, right? Only you, me and Pepper can know, okay?”

“Like my heart?” Peter asked innocently, tapping the casing off his arc reactor without so much as a hint of fear or pain.

Tony, however, felt both. How could he not when the only reason his son relied on such a device was because of his own doing? His title? His legacy of destruction and _death_?

Tightening his hold on the boy, Tony rocked Peter in his embrace like he did for all those months before, ignoring the swell of guilt in his chest or the fear that Peter might fall away like dust if he were to let go, if only for a second. “Yeah Petey,” he murmured, leaning into Peter’s curls with a heavy sigh. “Just between us, alright buddy?”

Peter stiffened in his hold, and before Tony could ask what was wrong he realised that he couldn’t _move_, let alone talk. It was as if they were both frozen in time, but the mechanic knew that couldn’t be right, because he could still feel his lungs expand with each inhale and the panicked beating of Peter’s heart against his chest as dread began to settle in his stomach.

Something was wrong, something was wrong-!

“Breathe… easy, _easy_.”

The voice tore away any semblance of calm Tony had been desperately grasping onto as a hand as cold as ice pressed against his shoulder, forcing the man’s unresponsive body to fall back against the lounge with Peter still clinging to his chest. His breath hitched when a shadow passed across his vision and he was met with those hollow, greedy eyes of Obadiah Stane once more, his face plastered with a smile that chilled Tony to his core.

“You remember this one, right?” Obadiah leered, holding up a seemingly unthreatening remote that emitted a high-pitched squeal if you listened close enough. “It’s a shame the government didn’t approve. There’s so many applications for causing short-term paralysis.”

Tony’s eyes widened at the sound of Peter’s terrified gasp, his breath hot against his father’s neck as the two remained defenceless at the hands of the monster they once called family. Tony wanted nothing more than to bundle Peter up in his arms and shield him from this cruel world, this pain of betrayal. But no matter how hard he screamed in his mind to move, to speak, to _fight_, his body remained unresponsive to his pleas.

Instead, Tony was forced to glare up at the man who hovered over them tauntingly, those eyes glinting with some sort of twisted satisfaction. Obadiah rested his hand against the lounge right beside Tony’s head and admitted with a sigh “You know, it really did worry me, when I found out you and Petey here had been taken in Afghanistan.”

Tony continued to stare blankly up at the man, though he hoped the heat of his fury would simmer to the surface in some shape or form.

“After all, I did pay them to _kill_ you,” Obadiah continued, ignoring Tony’s strangled wheeze as terror washed out the hatred in his brown eyes. A cruel chuckle erupted from Obadiah’s throat as he mused “You can imagine my surprise to see that you had both miraculously survived. But I suppose it was _fate_…”

Shifting his eyes to peer down at Peter in a way that made Tony’s stomach twist, Obadiah brushed the back of his fingers against Peter’s pale cheek to wipe away a stray tear that had escaped from the boy’s petrified eyes. He was shivering in Tony’s hold, _quaking_, and it pained Tony to no end that he couldn’t hold him tighter. Couldn’t pull him away from the hand that hovered down to his chest with malicious intent, or fight back when said hand attached an unfamiliar device to the reactor keeping him alive.

“I have to say Tony, you surprised me,” Obadiah smirked, twisting the metallic piece with a hiss.

Peter jerked at the action, his breath catching in an agonising gasp as the tears finally began to cascade down his face like waterfalls. And just like the screams of his first surgery, Tony was certain he would never be able to erase that horrific sound from his memory. It would forever scar his mind like the scars on his son’s chest, and as Peter’s lungs rattled with each hysteric exhale, Tony felt his own heart shatter into a million pieces where his son’s heart should be.

Tony flickered his eyes to meet Obadiah’s in one final plea, a desperate attempt to save the one reason he had left to live.

_Not him! Please! He doesn’t deserve this… Not Peter… not my Peter… _

Lips tilting into a cold smile, Obadiah spoke, his voice barely a whisper, “Turns out you had one last gift to give this world…”

And with that final word, he pulled the device away, dragging Peter’s only life source along with it until the cords eventually snapped and Peter’s entire body lurched in protest. An inhuman noise escaped the boy’s throat as he gazed up at the man he called uncle with wet, terrified eyes, the once comforting glow of the reactor now reflected in Obadiah’s hungry expression.

“Oh, this is beautiful,” the man crooned, turning the reactor -_Peter’s_ reactor- over in his palm with glee. “This is a masterpiece. Your ninth symphony. Your legacy, Tony.”

_No it’s not,_ Peter _is my legacy. Peter is my everything,_ Tony thought bitterly as tears burnt at the back of his eyes. He couldn’t cry though, not now. Not when his son’s life hung in the balance.

“Just imagine; A whole new generation of weapons, with _this_ at its heart,” Obadiah said, admiring his prize. And as if he weren’t shitty enough after sentencing a child to his death, he had the nerve to hold the arc reactor up to Tony and add patronisingly “Weapons that will help steer the world back on course. Put the balance of power in our hands, in the _right_ hands…"

_ The only right world will be one were you’re dead_, Tony thought, -so desperately wanting to spit the words in Obadiah’s face before he pummelled it into the ground. But he couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. As soon as the paralysis wore off and Tony saved Peter from this nightmare though, Tony would personally see Obadiah to the flaming gates of hell.

And if Peter died before that? Then that bastard would have a lot more to worry about than an eternity of damnation…

“I wish you could see my prototype,” Obadiah spoke, breaking Tony from his train of thought as he watched the man place the reactor into a metal case. “It’s not as… well… not as_ conservative_ as yours…” There was a small pause as Tony fully processed the statement, a cool sweat breaking across his skin the moment he understood those dreadful words.

Obadiah had made a suit, except unlike Tony’s which was used to protect and avenge, this suit would be used to destroy and _murder_.

But as if Tony weren’t already in the equivalent of hell as it was -holding his dying son in his arms and the possibility of mass destruction just walking out the front door-, whatever was left of his already shattered heart dropped into his stomach at Obadiah’s next words.

“Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this…”

Tony felt Peter’s breath quicken at the mention of his almost-mother.

“I would have preferred that she lived,” Obadiah said with such a sense of casualness that it was hard to comprehend he was threatening someone’s _life_. Then again, Tony had just witnessed him tear away his son’s life support without even batting an eye, -_enjoying_ it even-, so he really shouldn’t have been surprised.

Still, Tony couldn’t help but feel his blood boil as he watched Obadiah pack his things up with a satisfied smirk. He’d be sure to wipe that smug grin off his face when he dragged it across the pavement…

Peter’s breath staggered in a frightening wheeze, causing Tony’s own chest to tighten as something resembling a whimper clawed up the boy’s throat. It was a strained noise, his rapidly failing body fighting desperately to keep him alive just as much as Tony wished he could.

This wasn’t fair. This was _fair!_ How could this world be so cruel so someone so young and pure?

And just to be one final kick in the guts, Obadiah leant forward and caressed the boy’s tear-stained cheek in his hand in a mocking comfort, amusement flashing across his face when he noticed Peter flinch at the contact. “Don’t worry Squirt, the paralysis will wear off in fifteen minutes. Not that you’ll be alive to feel it,” Obadiah smirked coldly, pulling away to inspect the humming arc reactor in the case – the one he had so callously ripped from Peter’s chest – with triumph.

“But don’t worry,” he smiled, casting one final glance to father and son before assuring icily “I’ll put your heart to good use…”

And just as quickly as he had appeared, Obadiah was gone, consumed by the shadows of the house and leaving Tony and Peter to remain frozen in time together, both slowly dying in each other’s embrace. For Peter, it was the metal barbs pulsing towards his heart. And for Tony, it was the overwhelming guilt and terror he felt for his son, who remained helpless in his hold until he was either quick enough to find a replacement arc reactor, or the shrapnel would complete its course. Tony prayed it would be the former, because he wasn’t sure he would survive without his son to light the way.

_Hold on Pete, god _please_, you have to hold on..._

It was ten long, dreadful minutes before Tony started to feel his fingertips again, curling them into the fabric of Peter’s pyjama shirt as his son’s breathing grew more erratic with each passing second. It was more of a wheeze now; shallow and scratchy. Tony thought he had never heard anything so devasting in his life, ignoring the wet patch on his shirt from Peter’s steady line of tears and instead focusing on getting his body to move.

Another minute passed, and the mechanic was finally able and lift his head from the lounge, though it strained his muscles to do so. Peter was starting to regain a small amount of control too as he attempted to push himself away from his father’s chest with a whimper.

Tony immediately coiled his still numb arms around Peter’s back though, pulling him into his tight embrace and murmuring “D-Don’t… move… save your, s-strength… bambino…”

There was a moment of hesitation before Peter’s body loosened in his hold again. “D-Daddy…?” Peter sniffled pitifully.

“Y-yeah, baby?” Tony replied, trying his best to hold a confident facade up to his terrified son. But the mask fell as soon as he heard the boy whispered hauntedly “O-Obie… to-took m’ hea-heart…”

A fire ignited in Tony’s chest again at the devasted wobble in Peter’s tone, using it to fuel his motions as he cradled Peter to his chest and began to lean forward, assuring gently the whole time “I know baby… but I g-got you… I got you…”

“M’ s-scared,” Peter admitted weakly, trembling fingers curling into Tony’s shirt as he lifted them up with a groan.

Tony could feel his nerves tingling all the way down his spine as he attempted to find his balance, his feet wavering but his arms never loosening their hold on his son. There was no time to waste. Peter wouldn’t last much longer without that magnet in his chest, and the only place he could find another reactor was down in his lab, sat in a pristine case with the words ‘Proof that Tony Stark has a heart’ encircling it.

_Oh Pepper, what did I ever do to deserve you?_

Pushing his way forward, Tony staggered across the room towards the staircase in an almost drunken manner, barely able to hold himself up if not for the one singular thought screaming in his head. _Save Peter. Save Peter. Save Peter!_

That’s what pushed him through the paralysis. That’s what miraculously kept him from falling down the staircase. That’s what kept him steady, kept him grounded. He made it all the way to the shattered glass windows of the lab before he finally started to feel the exhaustion weighing down on his limbs, his voice coming out in a fumbling mess of words when he realised Peter’s eyes were starting to glaze over eerily.

“Baby? B-Bambino? _Shit_-“ Tony cursed when the boy didn’t respond, rubbing circles into his back as he ventured onward with shaky legs. “Pete, I really need you to stay with me- alright? I need you to- to hold on, -hold on for me, okay? I’m gonna, I, I’m gonna fix this, just- god, hold on…”

Tony wasn’t sure if it was the incoherent rambling or the ever-tightening embrace that spurred Peter into nuzzling into the crook of his father’s neck, but either way, Tony couldn’t help but feel a sliver of relief that he was still moving. Still _alive_.

“J-Just a little longer buddy,” Tony said encouragingly, before stepping over the shattered glass and starting his trek across the lab.

At the edges of his blurry vision he noticed the bots moving back and forth skittishly, too focused on his goal to understand what they were doing as they chirped to one another in what he could only describe as alarm. It wasn’t until he almost stumbled into a toolbox that was thankfully pulled away at the last second by DUM-E that he realised his mechanical children were clearing a pathway for him, removing any obstacles that dared get in the way of their little brother’s chance at life. Tony made a mental note to give them all an upgrade as soon as this mess was over.

Practically falling onto the metal desk, Tony reluctantly released Peter from his hold just long enough to get his hands on the glass case to his left, feeling a pang of guilt as he stared at the gift he was about to destroy. But turning back to his son, Tony realised that Peter was as pale as sheet as he sat on the bench with hazy and unfocused eyes, trembling with each laboured breath he took.

Tony could make another arc reactor. He couldn’t make another Peter.

“Sorry Pep,” the man muttered before smashing the case against the edge of the table, sending shards of glass across the floor and embedding them into Tony’s palm. He barely felt the cuts though as he brushed away the debris and held the reactor to his chest with triumph.

It was the first time Tony allowed himself to smile as he stood before his dying son and stuttered “Y-You’re going to be okay buddy, I got you, -I _got you_.”

But when Tony moved the reactor into place over the gaping hole in Peter’s chest, he was surprised when a pair of shivering hands held him back, the boy releasing a disapproving grunt when his father tried to push them away. Tony wanted to cry, wanted to _scream_. They didn’t have time for this! His son was teetering on the edge of death and Peter had the nerve to be _stubborn_ about saving his own life!

Damnit, he really was his kid.

“Pe-… Pepp-er,” Peter’s voice cracked, drawing Tony’s attention away from his trembling hands to the big brown eyes peering up at him from the bench. There were no more tears, but lines still crossed his cheeks from where they had once fallen, highlighting his young features into a picture of innocence. Which only made it more unsettling when Peter said with a voice far too responsible for his body “You ha-have to save _Pepper_…”

Tony blinked himself from his stupor, snapping “Are you kidding? I have to save _you_!”

“Obie… bad guy, hurt… Pepper…” Peter wheezed, lifting his hand to point at the red and golden suit standing on the other side of the lab as he added softly “Need hero… to save h-her…”

Tony hated that he froze. Hated that he even _contemplated_ it, even for a second. Whipping his head back to his son Tony pushed the reactor back towards Peter’s chest and said firmly “No, _no_. We’re not doing this right now, I’m putting it in whether you like it or not.”

“No!” Peter actually cried out, wrapping his arms across his chest protectively when Tony tried to push it in. “P-Pepper needs help!”

“And you need to _live_!” Tony exclaimed fiercely as he held both of Peter’s hands in his own and hissed “Don’t you get it? You need this heart, right here, right _now_.”

Peter shook his head in dismay. “N-not this one,” he whimpered, shoving Tony away with the little strength he had left.

Tony wanted to slam his head against the wall as he explained sharply “There aren’t any other reactors Pete. This is all we’ve got.”

And then Peter did something his father didn’t expect. He pointed to one of the many cars lined up against the wall with a single shaky finger and whispered emptily “First… heart…”

Tony felt his stomach drop like a stone. “No… oh god Peter _NO!_” the man almost screamed, blinking away tears that had sprung up to his eyes without warning as he barked “Never! N-No! I’ll never do that to you!”

“I’s okay…” Peter breathed as his eyelids grew heavier. “Mm okay…”

“It’s not okay, Jesus Pete, that is anything _but_ okay!” Tony said, barely catching the sob that erupted from his chest as he gripped Peter’s shoulders tightly in his hands. How could he even suggest such a thing? How could he even dream of it?

“I can’t, -can’t do that to you,” Tony whispered hauntedly. “Just take the reactor, p-please…”

Little hands lifting from his own, the mechanic watched through tear-filled eyes as Peter placed his hands on either side of his father’s face and actually _smiled_. A genuine, proud smile. “_He-Hero_…” Peter whispered, making Tony’s own heart leap into his throat, before collapsing back into his father’s shaky hold.

“Shit! _Peter_!” Tony yelled as he laid the boy down carefully on the bench, heart racing a million miles a minute as he stared down at his almost lifeless son. In the palm of his hand, Tony knew he held the ability to just finish it all now. End this horrible nightmare and bring his son back to life.

But as much as he hated to admit it, Peter had a point. There was no way five agents would be able to take on whatever Obadiah had created, and Tony wasn’t sure he could bare losing Pepper as much as he couldn’t bare losing Peter. The only thing strong enough to fight Stark tech was Stark tech, which means his suit would need an arc reactor to power it just like Obadiah’s…

Damnit, why did this world hate him so much?!

So against every bone in his body that screamed at him to just insert the reactor and be done with it, the mechanic found himself racing towards one of the torn apart cars and ripping out the battery, shaking his head the entire time as he sped back to Peter’s limp body and began fiddling with the mechanics at his bench. It would be messy, but with his son’s life hanging by a thread, appearance was the last of Tony’s worries as he began attaching wires from the battery to Peter’s chest.

Tony felt sick the whole way through, flashbacks of that horrible moment when he’d woken up to find his son attached to a car battery in that god forsaken cave threatening to overtake his vision as he worked. He’d hoped Peter would never have to experience this again. He’d hoped that the reactor he’d made solely for his child would power him to the end of his days. Never did Tony imagine that he, his own father, would be the one throwing Peter back into his worst nightmare.

Still he pushed forward, never breaking focus until he finally hit the switch and the battery hummed to life. Everything was silent, even the bots as they watched from the sidelines, not daring to interrupt. Tony waited with baited breath as electricity powered the magnet in Peter’s heart once more, and hopefully dragged those barbs away from his fragile heart and allowed him to live once more.

Seconds dragged into minutes as Tony watched his son’s chest rise and fall with each light exhale, praying he wouldn’t have to witness it drop and never lift again. What must have only been two minutes felt like an eternity to Tony when Peter’s eyes fluttered open, blinking at the sharp light from the lab as confusion shrouded his expression. His father didn’t give him long to ponder though as he pulled him into his arms once more and wept “Don’t you ever make me do that again, Peter! You hear me?! _Never again!_”

Peter must have gotten his bearings by the time Tony pulled away because there was a certain clarity to those brown orbs, peering down at the battery at his side with guilt before offering his father an encouraging smile. What should have reassured Tony only made his heart shatter that much further when he noticed the boy nervously fiddle with the wires like he did when he’d first woken up in Afghanistan.

“It’s not permanent, I promise,” Tony felt the need to say, his words rushed as he added “I’m going to make you a new heart, a-alright? It’ll be stronger, and more powerful, and safer than the last one, I swear.”

Peter simply looked up at Tony with unfiltered, unaffected _love_. “I know…” he croaked, still a little dazed from the near-death experience before he noticed the arc reactor on his other side. Taking it into his small hands, Peter lifted it up to his father like a child presenting a Christmas present, his tone so unimaginably soft as he murmured “Go be a hero, Dad…”

Tony couldn’t help but choke out of laugh, engulfing his son in an exhausted hug and being mindful of the wires leading from his chest. Peter melted into his touch without hesitation and Tony realised with painful stab in his heart that he wanted to hold on. He wanted to stay in this moment forever, just them, together and _safe_. But if he wanted to save Pepper, then had to let go…

Just as the thought of safety crossed Tony’s mind, he heard rushed footsteps from across the lab and sighed in relief to see none other than Rhodey barrelling towards to two, face set in concern. Before his friend had a chance to grill him on what happened though Tony glanced down at his son again and cupped Peter’s face in his hands, pressing a kiss to his messy brown curls as he whispered softly “I love you… you know that right, bambino?”

“Always,” Peter murmured back, his eyes shimmering up at his father without even a hint of terror or regret. Only trust. Only _love_.

And that was all that really matter to Tony. Peter looked up to his father as a hero, and so long as it kept his little heart beating, kept that smile on his face, Tony would do whatever it took to keep it that way.

Anything for his Peter…

**Author's Note:**

> Hoped you liked it! (Also if you want to check out the drawing I made for this fic you can find it here: https://superherotiger.tumblr.com/post/187859718093/dont-worry-squirt-the-paralysis-will-wear-off)


End file.
